Category: World Travel

“Blew” Two….

Yesterday, I posted about my entry in the “I’m so Blue” guild challenge.

Normally, I am finishing my challenges on the day that they are due, or maybe the day before if I am really organized, but, with this one, the idea came quickly and I was finished over a month before the due date…. UN-HEARD OF!!

Just after I finished it, I was talking to another guild member (Sue) and she said that she would make it different by using the other spelling/meaning of blue……ie BLEW!!

Just after our conversation, we made another trip to Kunming, China where I spied this wonderful bronze statue…..

I adored the look on the man’s face….

….not to mention the little boy at the back…..

Now THAT is a great example of “BLEW”!!

When we returned home, I called Sue and asked if she had ever acted on her inspiration. She said that she had not and that I was welcome to use the idea.

I started with the photo itself, tweaking it to enhance the color…..

I used the pinwheel as my inspiration and added a bunch of small pinwheels and two larger 3-D pinwheels….

….and added the beaded “stick” to meet the embellishment and blue requirements.

I made a couple of paper quilts to test out the quilting designs….

….but finally decided on wavy parallel lines in a metallic thread….

I love the final product…..

…particularly the way that the fabrics worked together.

And, as a plus, it is another fun “Travel Log Quilt” that reminds me of a trip to Kunming!!

Pelicans at Sunset…

When we were in Australia back in 2008, we spent time in the Tuross Lake Area on the southern coast of New South Wales. It was meant to be a relaxing few days after a breakneck tour, visiting with colleagues and friends.

This photo typified the time…..

I have always loved the photo but also like the way it looks when cropped…..

…just ONE of the joys of digital photography!!

America’s Cup

Having been born and raised in West Texas, I had never heard of the “America’s Cup”…..let alone know that it was a yacht race run every 4 years, and HEAVILY contested between the ocean-loving countries.

The current year race ended this past week, with New Zealand beating out the Italian challenger. Every time the race is run, Michael and I remember our “first” America’s Cup…….

In 1981 we moved to Canberra, Australia….a country that LOVES yacht racing!! In 1983, it was time for another contest, and our friends and my fellow employees were determined that we knew ALL about it.

It seems that the cup had previously only been won by the Americans and the trophy had been held in New York since 1851. Well this year, the Aussies were out for blood!!

As we moved into the final races between Australia and America, the smack talk ran rampant!! The two countries battled evenly with races being split between them.

Then it was time for the final race!!!

Since it was held in the US, we had to get up REALLY early to watch it, and Michael and I huddled around our little black and white TV loudly urging our American compatriates to sail faster and smarter than the Aussies. And they were!!!

The race was nearing the end and the US was ahead by several minutes so Michael and I felt comfortable leaving to shower and get ready for work…..ready to RUB THE WIN into everyone’s faces.

BUT, 45 minutes later we turned the TV back on to find that the Australian team had taken a wider tack than the Americans, caught some amazing wind and were now in the LEAD!! NOOOOOO!!

Yes, the Royal Perth Yacht Club had indeed won the America’s Cup and brought glory (and the cup) to Australia!!

Michael and I both knew that it was going to be a rough day at work so we fashioned black arm bands to wear in mourning and left for our offices.

I think that most of the office was already there to greet me when I walked in. They escorted me to my cubicle which was properly festooned with black crepe paper and a small black wreath was attached to my window!!

I ate crow for the rest of the day, although they did allow me to participate in the cake and champagne celebration!!

In 2006 (some 23 years later), I wanted to make a quilt for Aussie friends who loved sailing and I chose this fun design……

It reminds me of the great yachts, the wonderful Australian friends and the fun ribbing that took place…..

Well done New ZEALAND!!!!

Sailing Energy/Getty Images
Dave Rowland/Getty Images

Aussie Dreams

In today’s “look back at the past”, I wanted to talk about using Australian fabric!!

For those of you who don’t know our history, Michael and I lived in Australia for 6 years back in the 1980’s and then returned for a visit in 2008. While we were visiting in the Tuross Lake area, Michael found this amazing granite mortar and pestle that he just had to have…..

As we discussed how we would transport it back home (it weighed a TON), we decided that we would purchase a small suitcase and take it back as a carry-on. Michael looked at me and said “We really need to pad it up. Do you have anything that would work for that?”. My answer was simple….”Let’s go back to the quilt shop!!!”

So, I purchased TONS of Aussie fabric and used it to pad and protect the kitchen tool….we were BOTH happy!!

Now, I needed to figure out what to do with the fabrics.

For many years I had owned the book “Vivacious Curvy Quilts”….

….and REALLY wanted to make a quilt of curves!!! I decided that the Aussie fabric was the perfect place to start.

I talked a bit about the process in THIS POST from 2014.

….and I even made a video of the curved piecing process……

The final quilt turned out great…..

…and I used up EVERY LAST BIT of Australian fabric making the back……

This quilt is on our bed and we both enjoy snuggling under it every cold night!!!